100 billion extra for German army: ‘This is a turning point in history’

Chancellor Scholz is allocating an extra 100 billion euros to modernize the German army because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He also wants to spend 2 percent of the domestic product annually on defense, he said in a speech in the Bundestag. That 2 percent is a NATO agreement, but Germany has not been able to achieve that for years. In 2020, Germany reached 1.56 percent.

“This is a turning point in history. The world is no longer the same as before,” said the Social Democrat, who took office in December, about the Russian aggression. According to him, Russian President Putin wants to enforce the law of the fittest. “We must muster the strength to set limits on these warmongers.”

“It is clear: we clearly need to invest more in the security of our country, in order to protect our freedom and our democracy,” said Scholz. For that, Germany needs “new, strong resources”.

Scholz was vehement about the invasion of Ukraine, which he called inhumane and contrary to international law. “This cannot be justified by anyone or anything.”

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